Elizabeth Sedman Lidgett (26 August 1843 – 8 April 1919) was a British

Poor Law guardian Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the poor ...

and

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

Life

Lidgett was born in

Mile End Mile End is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London, England, east-northeast of Charing Cross. Situated on the London-to-Colchester road, it was one of the earliest suburbs of London. It became part of the m ...

in East London to John Lidgett, a shipowner, and Ann Lidgett (''née'' Hyett) on 26 August 1843. Her elder sister, Mary Hyett, married

Percy Bunting Percy William Bunting (1 February 1836 – 22 July 1911) was an English journalist. Biography He was born at Radcliffe, Lancashire, son of Eliza and Thomas Percival Bunting, and grandson of Wesleyan divine Jabez Bunting. A younger sister was S ...

in 1869 and

John Scott Lidgett John Scott Lidgett, CH (10 August 1854 – 16 June 1953) was a British Wesleyan Methodist minister and educationist. He achieved prominence both as a theologian and reformer within British Methodism, stressing the importance of the church's ...

was her nephew. She was elected in April 1881 to be a

Poor Law Guardian Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the poor ...

in St Pancras. Another guardian was Sarah Ward Andrews who had formed a group to encourage women to stand for these positions of responsibility. Elizabeth and her sister Mary were both inspired to good works by their membership of the

Charity Organization Society The Charity Organisation Societies were founded in England in 1869 following the ' Goschen Minute' that sought to severely restrict outdoor relief distributed by the Poor Law Guardians. In the early 1870s a handful of local societies were formed w ...

. The Charity Organization Society was inspired to target work at the deserving poor whilst trying to avoid creating an expectation of dependency.(1887). "Lots of Chronic Paupers." ''The Washington Post''. 21 October 1887. At this stage women were being welcomed to serve in some public areas. They were helping to organise the workhouses for the poor and to supervise the process where children were "boarded out" and to help with schools serving the legal requirement to educate poor children. However it was apparent that women were expected to restrict themselves to these areas. For instance her sister was told by the male members of the ''Metropolitan Association for Befriending Young Servants'' that the women on the committee might assist with finding positions for female paupers. In November 1888 she and her sister Mary attended the first meeting of what would become the

Women's Local Government Society The Women's Local Government Society was a British campaign group which aimed to get women into local government. Its initial focus was on county councils but its remit later covered other local government roles such as school boards. History The ...

Sarah Amos Sarah Maclardie Amos born Sarah Maclardie Bunting (1840–1908) was a political activist. She was the superintendent of the Working Women's College in Queen Square, London. Life Amos was born in Manchester in 1840 to Eliza and Thomas Percival Bun ...

's house. The group was led by

Annie Leigh Browne Annie Leigh Browne (14 March 1851 – 8 March 1936) was a United Kingdom educationist and suffragist. She co-founded College Hall, London, and funded and worked to get women elected to local government. Life Browne was born in Bridgwater in 1851 ...

and it was deciding suitable women candidates for election. Lidgett was offered the opportunity of standing to be a

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

lor in 1889 but she refused. That same year she became involved in the management of the Gray's Inn Road schools. This was a position of some ambition as women were allowed to serve on school boards many years before they were given equal electoral rights in 1928. Lidgett worked with

Florence Davenport Hill Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

. Lidgett was a

in St Pancras for nearly forty years and she continued always to support the Women's Local Government Society. She died on 8 April 1919 of a pulmonary malignant disease while living at 40

Gordon Square Gordon Square is a public park square in Bloomsbury, London, England. It is part of the Bedford Estate and was designed as one of a pair with the nearby Tavistock Square. It is owned by the University of London. History and buildings The sq ...

, London.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lidgett, Elizabeth 1843 births 1919 deaths English suffragists People from Mile End